Man Jailed For Five Years Over Dangerous Driving Death

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David Byrne knew he should not be driving due to a serious eye condition

A Kildare man has been jailed for five years for dangerous driving causing the death of a 70-year-old woman in Dublin.

David Byrne of Castlemartin Lodge in Kilcullen knew he shouldn’t be driving because of an eye condition when he knocked her down in October 2015.

70-year-old Patricia Dunne died after being thrown into the air when a car being driven by David Byrne hit her as she was crossing a road in Dublin 5.

He was told over twenty years ago that he shouldn’t be driving because he suffers from an eye condition called Usher Syndrome Type 2 which affects his ability to see objects and movement outside his direct line of vision.

The court heard he didn't disclose that information when he applied for his driver’s licence or car insurance.

Last week, Mrs Dunne’s son John told the court her sudden loss caused the family untold grief and he said they would never forgive Byrne for what he did.

Judge Patricia Ryan said the main aggravating factor was that he knew he shouldn’t have been driving at the time.

After jailing him for five years, she agreed to allow him attend his son’s communion tomorrow and deferred his custodial sentence until Monday.

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